Technology Android
- Thread starter THEV1LL4N
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Why should it be different? iOS is a closed platform and Iphone is the only phone running it so it's only expected to get better updates faster, yet it doesn't.
Android update schedules aren't great too. It would be far better if it was like a desktop OS, coming with drivers for most sets of hardware out there - but it's not, each model is so different that they have to tailor the OS to it, and then come the manufacturers who want to "customize" the original OS, that's why it all goes to shits and people have to wait a year to get an update, or don't get it at all because there's too much hassle.
Android update schedules aren't great too. It would be far better if it was like a desktop OS, coming with drivers for most sets of hardware out there - but it's not, each model is so different that they have to tailor the OS to it, and then come the manufacturers who want to "customize" the original OS, that's why it all goes to shits and people have to wait a year to get an update, or don't get it at all because there's too much hassle.
Motorola are by far the worst offenders of the major OEMS when it comes to updates and update schedules. My X2ME is still on freakin Honeycomb until July or so, and the bootloader remains locked too, so no custom ROMS. It's a phenomenal device (or, it will be with ICS), but taking so long to push the update out is a joke. I'll think twice before purchasing a Motorola product in the future, but hopefully the Google acquisition will change things at Moto in these regards.
By Daniel Bader on May 25, 2012 at 10:59am in Mobile News
It appears that a few important members of the now-open-source webOS team are moving over to Google from HP. Despite announcing in January that webOS would be open-sourced and bits of pieces of the Enyo framework would be released between then and a final September unveiling, the unnamed members of the team have likely decided greener pastures exist on Google’s shores. Most of the exiting party were responsible for the Enyo application framework, which debuted on the TouchPad and allowed developers to create beautiful apps within HTML5.
While HP released a statement saying this move will not affect the release date of open source webOS — “We’re pleased with the traction Enyo has gained to date and plan to continue its development along with the open source community. The Open webOS project is on schedule and we remain committed to the roadmap announced in January,” — there is no doubt that this is not a good thing for the webOS team.
What Google will do with the engineers is another story. Hopefully they will be integrated into the Android Open Source Project, improving the performance of next-generation versions of the operating system. Matias Duarte, the visionary creator of the design language in Ice Cream Sandwich, moved from Palm to Google before the company was purchased by HP.
Source: The Verge
By Daniel Bader on May 25, 2012 at 4:01pm in Mobile News
Some interesting rumours of the Nexus tablet have come to light after TechnoBuffalo received word from a trusted source that the slate will launch during Google I/O next month. The information seems to confirm that the tablet will be manufactured by Asus and will sport a quad-core Tegra 3 chip and a 7-inch screen of unknown resolution.
As we’ve said before, this will be the first time a quad-core tablet will be available for under $300, and if Google can manage to outfit the hardware with a comparably good software package, it will likely sell quite well. The rumour extends to the tablet running Android 5.0 Jellybean, though we are sceptical of that happening. Ice Cream Sandwich is running on fewer than 5% of the total Android population, and it would make more sense to launch the device with a stock “Nexus” build of Android 4.0.4, showing off what Google’s latest OS can do on inexpensive hardware. Sure, there might be some new features added to the mix, maybe even a bump to 4.0.5, but it’s unlikely that Jellybean will be launched only eight months after its predecessor.
In all likelihood, the Nexus tablet will be largely based on Asus’ launched-but-buried MeMo 370t, which debuted at CES with the same rumoured specs but a price point of $249. Since then Google has managed to secure enough component inventory at a good price to bring down the cost to $199. The launch will also confirm Nvidia’s commitment to bringing sub-$200 Tegra 3 tablets to market using an updated manufacturing process and cheaper DDR3 RAM.
Other rumours for Google I/O include an announcement of multiple Nexus smartphone manufacturing partners including Motorola, LG, Sony, Samsung and HTC.
At this point the only concrete things we know are that Nvidia is bringing cheap Tegra 3 tablets to market, likely with the help of Google and Asus. We’d love to see Jellybean but are not going to hold our breath. In the meantime, let us know: would you buy a stock ICS version of an Android tablet if it was under $200?
Source: TechnoBuffalo
Via: PhoneArena
If it's decent enough I might sell my X2ME for it.
Also, I think there could be (not saying there will be) a worthwhile software update announced with new hardware that isn't necessarily a large enough release for it to be Jelly Bean. If you recall, the original Droid launched with Android 2.0 and then less than 4 months later the Nexus One launched with 2.1, and both of these versions were Eclair.
I'm excited to see what launches at I/O. Hopefully we'll hear more about Android@Home, which we've heard virtually nothing about since last year's I/O. Also, anyone think part of the reason for the Moto acquisition was to develop Android@Home hardware, rather than disrupting the phone/tablet ecosystem?
Also, I think there could be (not saying there will be) a worthwhile software update announced with new hardware that isn't necessarily a large enough release for it to be Jelly Bean. If you recall, the original Droid launched with Android 2.0 and then less than 4 months later the Nexus One launched with 2.1, and both of these versions were Eclair.
I'm excited to see what launches at I/O. Hopefully we'll hear more about Android@Home, which we've heard virtually nothing about since last year's I/O. Also, anyone think part of the reason for the Moto acquisition was to develop Android@Home hardware, rather than disrupting the phone/tablet ecosystem?
Look, a SGS2 vs SGS3 test. Turns out there might not be so many reasons to upgrade:
http://www.gsmarena.com/galaxy_s_ii_vs_galaxy_s_iii-review-764.php
Funny that the pure CPU prowess gap between the SGS2 and SGS3 is not much bigger than between SGS3 and HTC One S/X(with S4), which is dual core, but new gen.
http://www.gsmarena.com/galaxy_s_ii_vs_galaxy_s_iii-review-764.php
Funny that the pure CPU prowess gap between the SGS2 and SGS3 is not much bigger than between SGS3 and HTC One S/X(with S4), which is dual core, but new gen.
Google Nexus Tablet details leaked, Android 5.0 Jelly Bean with Tegra 3 CPU
http://www.youmobile.org/blogs/entr...eaked-Android-5-0-Jelly-Bean-with-Tegra-3-CPU
Apparently it won't have the Nexus branding but will ship with Android 5.0 in July. Interesting. I wonder if Android 5.0 will be open or closed like Honeycomb was. I hope it'll be open-sourced. Just when ICS closed the gap between phone and tablet editions. What's everyone else's take on this? I'm excited, and if the prices are low in England then I'd probably think about getting one. But I need to know a lot more about it first.
http://www.youmobile.org/blogs/entr...eaked-Android-5-0-Jelly-Bean-with-Tegra-3-CPU
Apparently it won't have the Nexus branding but will ship with Android 5.0 in July. Interesting. I wonder if Android 5.0 will be open or closed like Honeycomb was. I hope it'll be open-sourced. Just when ICS closed the gap between phone and tablet editions. What's everyone else's take on this? I'm excited, and if the prices are low in England then I'd probably think about getting one. But I need to know a lot more about it first.
it can be UI. Just look at what they did with the G+ app. I don't like the new improvement, by the way. It feels like they went for the tablet route with it. The font is too big and I feel like I'm too zoomed in. I keep trying to zoom out to see the rest of the app not realizing that I can't.
The UI is good when it comes to how the posts flow from one another when you're scrolling. But it deviated from the minimalistic look that I liked. I feel that it substituted usability for looks. As the result, it's not on my main screen phone anymore. That essentially means I have stopped using G+ unless I get a notification from someone.
The UI is good when it comes to how the posts flow from one another when you're scrolling. But it deviated from the minimalistic look that I liked. I feel that it substituted usability for looks. As the result, it's not on my main screen phone anymore. That essentially means I have stopped using G+ unless I get a notification from someone.
That's not confirmed, but yeah, most probably true.
I hung out with my cousin yesterday, the one who works for Google. He moved from working on core apps and is now a part of the Android @ Home team. Couldn't tell me much about anything that's unannounced, but I could tell from his reactions when I asked him about certain things what's a priority and what isn't. There's going to be some cool shit unveiled at IO for sure including the new tablet.
Also, as it turns out, the Android @ Home team is actually a very large team for an Android subset. We haven't heard anything about it for a while but it's defo a priority for them.
Also, ICS might not be running on a great percentage of devices yet, but remember that it was unveiled last October. So it has already been 9 months since it was announced. And IO is still another month away, and it likely won't roll out to any devices for at least another month. By the time it actually starts hitting devices it will have been almost a year since ICS was announced. There's been far shorter gaps between releases before.
As far as it taking a long time to roll out ICS, what you have to remember is that 2.3 to 4.0 requires a lot of resources from the OEMs and carriers. It's not a minor update. So yeah adoption is slow, but I think adoption from ICS to Jelly Bean will happen much faster.
I hung out with my cousin yesterday, the one who works for Google. He moved from working on core apps and is now a part of the Android @ Home team. Couldn't tell me much about anything that's unannounced, but I could tell from his reactions when I asked him about certain things what's a priority and what isn't. There's going to be some cool shit unveiled at IO for sure including the new tablet.
Also, as it turns out, the Android @ Home team is actually a very large team for an Android subset. We haven't heard anything about it for a while but it's defo a priority for them.
Also, ICS might not be running on a great percentage of devices yet, but remember that it was unveiled last October. So it has already been 9 months since it was announced. And IO is still another month away, and it likely won't roll out to any devices for at least another month. By the time it actually starts hitting devices it will have been almost a year since ICS was announced. There's been far shorter gaps between releases before.
As far as it taking a long time to roll out ICS, what you have to remember is that 2.3 to 4.0 requires a lot of resources from the OEMs and carriers. It's not a minor update. So yeah adoption is slow, but I think adoption from ICS to Jelly Bean will happen much faster.
I hope Google finds a way to make manufacturers upgrade faster, easier and less costly. I hope Android goes (sort of) in the Windows direction - an OS working on most sets of hardware (out of the box), just with different driver sets specified by OEMs depending on the device it specifically goes to. That would require manufacturers to accept some standards, but would make the upgrading process easier for everyone.
My monthly t-mobile direct debit has come down to £5/month and i'm getting 300 mins, 300 texts and 1GB of internet (sim-only). If it stays at this price I can just keep it at a rolling 30 day contract when it expires in December 2012. The only thing is that i'm now stuck with 1GB of internet. If in the future I want more data (i.e. right now they offer 1.5GB) or 4G then I will have to move to the new and more expensive plans. Now that apps are more data consuming these days (i.e. 2 apps I want to use often: Google Music, Google+) I have a dilemma. I guess I'm lucky I have the fair use policy that gives me some flexibility if i exceed 1GB. (they slow the connection to 2G between 6pm and midnight and only allow email, facebook and basic web browsing). Annoying, but still better than paying more if the 1GB limit is exceeded. I hope it stays at £5/month. It means that I will always need to buy unlocked/sim-free mobile phones unless t-mobile have it in their range. Having said that, I'm so tempted to get the Samsung Galaxy Nexus for £285 but I'll be waiting for the announcements of the JB Nexus devices. Android@Home should provide us with synergy between Android and personal needs like never before; maybe even ever between remote access to home devices.
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